Australian cars are a mystery to North Americans because they’re like a duckbill platypus, koala bear, or kangaroo.
They’re only found in Australia.
This 1973 Chrysler Valiant Charger 770 is one-of-one in North America, so that makes it rarer than a koala bear.
Jerry Sutherland
Rick Miller is the proud owner of this unique piece of Mopar muscle. He’s owned it for 32 years and it’s been a great relationship. Rick learned about these Aussie Chargers when he was living down there years ago. Rick said. “I was standing on a street corner, and I saw one and I just stared”. He knew one of these Aussie Chargers would be part of his future.
This Charger has the extremely rare 340 V-8 option, and Rick said it’s #31 of 212 built. That makes this car the only numbers-matching, 340 Charger in North America. Rick said it was a rust-free car so he knew he had something that wouldn’t send his wallet to the sidelines.
Rick called the car a globetrotter because it took the long road to North America. It was loaded in Botany Bay, Australia, shipped to Kobi, Japan and then routed to Long Beach, California. That’s where Rick picked it up and took what he called a “white-knuckle ride” home to Western Canada.
He’d never driven a right-hand drive car in traffic, and his first miles were on Los Angeles freeways. That was baptism by fire for Mike, but now he’s overcome the strange view from the curb side of the car in right-hand traffic. He said there are still a few odd things like the view through the rear-view mirror and the location of the signal light arm.
Rick had to change the rear end to a 3:55 out of an AMC Ambassador because he said, “the original rear end couldn’t handle the power of the small-block 340”.
The car has 110,000 miles on it now, but the previous owner “went over the motor” so he hasn’t had to do anything but routine maintenance. Mike noted the location of the oil filler because it had to be moved to the center to accommodate the 340 small-block.
Rick also took the car from factory Sherwood Green to Bahama Yellow because he wanted the Charger to stand out more on the road—plus he liked the color more than green.
He also rebuilt everything from the suspension and steering to the brakes because Mike wanted the Charger to handle like new. The headers (extractors) were added by the previous owner.
Rick has fun with this car because most people—even hardcore Mopar guys have never seen one. He gets guesses like Ford Maverick or AMC Javelin, but he’s happy to tell people what it is. Rick also pumps out the details behind this rare Mopar so he’s like a historian/caretaker for the Charger.
The Charger represents a ton of memories for Rick–he’s enjoyed every minute since that day he was on a street corner in Australia.
Jerry Sutherland
By: Jerry Sutherland
Jerry Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer with a primary focus on the collector car hobby. His work has been published in many outlets and publications, including the National Post, Calgary Herald, Edmonton Journal, Ottawa Citizen, Montreal Gazette, Saskatoon StarPhoenix, Regina Leader-Post, Vancouver Sun and The Truth About Cars. He is also a regular contributor to Auto Roundup Publications.
- CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE NEWSLETTER
- CLICK HERE to Like us on Facebook
- CLICK HERE to Follow us on Twitter
- CLICK HERE to Follow us on Pinterest
